Teddy's Birth Story

Teddy just turned 1! It occurred to me that his birth story doesn’t have a spot on the blog and given that he’s now ONE… it is time! I actually wrote his birth story back in the spring on Instagram stories and planned to copy and paste it over here back before the holidays but life just got too busy! This birth was such a beautiful, positive experience, - much more so than Henry’s birth (although I can’t say Henry’s was a negative experience, just so different from this one)! One of the biggest differences being our amazing doula, Alli Klever of Hygge Birth Doula. I also chose to forgo the epidural this time.

Early Labor

Given some unfortunate stuff we encountered around 35/36 weeks, we had a feeling I’d be doing good to make it to 39 weeks again. (H was born at 39&5, T at 39&1)

At 38 weeks & 6 days, I was 4cm dilated and my cervix was “very stretchy” at my routine appointment. Because of this, it was an option to go ahead and check into the hospital and augment things a bit to get labor going, but given the success of the membrane sweep with my first pregnancy, I opted for a sweep again and wanted to go home and give it time.

The next day, I woke up very emotional and just really tired - sleep in the third trimester is so rough. Darrell urged me to go back to bed for a while. Contractions began very sporadically that morning and continued into the evening, growing a little longer as the hours passed but still very sporadic.

Laboring At Home

By 6:30 PM they were hitting at about 7 minutes apart for a solid hour. I decided the time was NOW to get all of the spring bow samples ready for the photoshoot I needed to send them off to the following week… lol! So I sat at my desk and cranked out 12 bows to pass the time and keep my mind on other things during these contractions.

By about 7:30 PM they’d picked up to every 6 minutes and stayed this way until close to 10 PM. Given the similarities to my labor with Henry, we knew we wouldn’t be going to bed so Darrell began to pack the car after getting Henry to sleep for the night.

So around this point (so funny now) but I made Darrell sit on the couch with me and watch a course on “creating family keepsake videos with an iPhone” on 2x speed… not even joking. A hormonal, impulse purchase I made a couple weeks prior - a very targeted ad on social media had me whipping out my card to buy while waiting in the Dunkin drive thru!! But then it was December and life was crazy and I hadn’t had a chance to watch it but really wanted to before Teddy was born so I could make a cute video of him at the hospital! Darrell joked he felt like he was cramming for a graduate level final LOL but he obliged and watched as much as he could.

By 11 PM, the contractions were 5 minutes apart and it was time to call my sister to head over so she could be with Henry until Darrell’s mom could get here.

Around midnight, we left for the hospital. I hated the car ride up there. It feels so claustrophobic when you know you have to stay in that position for an extended period of time and the contractions are already at that level.

At The Hospital

I signed into registration and we were told to wait until a nurse came to take me back. Something about those few minutes of waiting and not going right into the next step hit me hard and I was sobbing in front of this poor young woman in the waiting area. Like I knew what was next and the magnitude of it hit me like a giant ocean wave.

So Grateful For The Tub

In the triage area, it was determined I’d gotten to 6 cm dilated. I requested a room with one of the tubs and thankfully there was one available. The nurse got the water started for me right away (it was a really big tub and took a long time to fill). She moved me to the delivery room and got my IV started (didn’t have to be hooked up to anything) and I got in the tub. I think my contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart at this point and the tub was excellent for helping manage the pain. Darrell made sure the lights stayed dim and started a relaxing spa music playlist. The contractions were way easier to handle in the tub.

My doula, Alli Klever, arrived and we chatted, with me taking breaks to breathe through contractions as teh time passed. A little after 3 AM, I started to squirm and the tears were silently flowing. I was getting very uncomfortable and no matter which way I turned, I couldn’t get comfortable. The nurse checked me at this point and I was 9 centimeters dilated.

Pain Management with Water

Alli suggested I try the shower as a new option for pain management. Water REALLY helps!!! In the shower, I started to hit transition and the staff were getting antsy that I needed to get back on the bed. I was crying and very vocal in my struggle to get through the contractions. Darrell helped with counter pressure while Alli talked me through it. I completely broke down in tears at this point. The anxiety was creeping in and the staff were at the bathroom door repeatedly telling us I couldn’t push in the shower and that I needed to make my way back to the bed soon. Alli reassured me I didn’t have to move yet. Around 3:30 AM I agreed to move to the bed, feeling like it had to be getting close as the pressure was so intense.

Transition

That started the most challenging 45 minutes of this birth. I tried every position imaginable but nothing was helping the pain. I could get through some of the contractions breathing and listening to Alli speak affirmations over me. My water still hadn’t broke and the doc on call really wanted to break my water to speed things up for the sake of my pain. I wanted it to break on its own and started getting really hung up on the fact that it hadn’t.

They told me I need to stay on the bed but I really felt the need to stand, so I did. On the bed. LOL. The nurses looked at me like I’d lost my mind but I didn’t care. Alli provided birth combs to squeeze through the contractions and I tried to focus on breathing, repeating in my head "God’s perfect design for birth, my body was made for this, God made it this way and it is good, God is good.”

I eventually agreed to have my water broke so a nurse went to get the doctor. In the meantime, another nurse said I could try to push to break it on my own. Immediately, I gave a big push, and just as the doctor walked in the room, my water broke and shot out from so much pressure. Minutes later and I think 4 pushes total, Teddy was born, a little after 4 AM!

Looking Back

It was the wildest experience and the biggest adrenaline rush imaginable! I was on a high for like 12 solid hours. I am so glad I chose a natural birth this time and it made such a difference in my recovery - mentally AND physically. It was a truly intimate and spiritual experience I am so grateful to have had. This felt like such a feat of my mind and it has given me such a fresh perspective of the power of our thoughts. The most empowering experience of my life was birthday Teddy unmedicated! I am so proud of that birth and how much I overcame in my mind and in physical pain. Women were made for birth!

If you’re local, I HIGHLY recommend Hygge Birth Doula, Alli Klever.